Apparatus for analyzing data on cards



y 1948. A. A. TWICHELL 2,445,011

APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING DATA ON CARDS Filed Sept. 30, 1944 4Sheets-Sheet 1 ALLAN A. Fir/6H5, INVENTOR ATTORNEY July 13, 1948. A. A.TWICHELL APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING DATA ON CARDS Filed Sept. :50, 1944 4Sheets-g 2 0 0 0 0 0 g 0 0 A O 0 0 0 O a 0 O /...\.0 Q000 00000 ALLA/VA.Jim- ENToR BYW ATTORNEY I L I L L July 13, 1948. A. A. TWICHELL2,445,011

APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING DATA ON CARDS Filed Spt. so, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheets ALLA/VA. flwa/ELL,

INVENTOR BYQAWQ 9M ATTORNEY July 13, 1948. A. A. TWICHELL 2,445,011

APPARATUS FQR ANALYZING DATA ON CARDS Filed Sept. 30, 1944 4Sheets-Sheet 4 7&3 CmssZ Pas/n0 No.

Cmss 5.

Class 3. U czhssa ALLA/VA. .7;V/C/-/ELL,

INVENTQR BYQQ MV Q.

ATTORNEY Patented July 13, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUSFOR ANALYZING DATA CARD S 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to apparatus for analyzing in percentagesclassified data on a group of cards.

In the analysis of statistical materials, whether in business,government, or science, th ends most commonly sought are two. One is toreveal the significant internal relationships of a single series ofcases. The other is to facilitate meaningful comparisons between two ormore series. Percentage is the common denominator of statistics, andpercentage determination is the medium used universally to reveal themeaning and give comparability to bodies of satistical data.

Two kinds of cards are commercially produced .and most widely used instatistical processing: the

Hollerith type of machine-sorted card with internal columnar punchingand the Keysort type of card which is a marginally punched card andusually sorted manually by means of selector rods.

Under present methods, percentage determination with either the machineor the marginal punch-card involves three steps: (1) sorting the cardsint-o classes, (2) counting the cards in each class, (3) calculating thedesired percentage characteristics from the numbers of cards in each ofthe various classes. Machine cards are sorted rapidly (though one byone) and are counted as they are sorted. Marginally punched cards aresorted in groups by a semi-instantaneous process,

but under methods thus far available they arecounted after the sorting.Although the sorting operation with marginally punched cards is veryrapid, the need for counting of the sorted cards has been a seriousdrawback to the use of these cards in statistical analysis because ofthe time consumed. The final step of percentage calculation from thecounts is essentially the same with both types of cards.

It is the principal object of my present invention to provide a simpleapparatus for efliciently and expeditiously analyzing in percentagesselected classifications of data contained on cards in a group of anunknown number.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatusfor the analysis of data indicated upon the margins of sheetlike recordforms, which apparatus enable the analysis to be made by measuring,percentagewise, the thickness of a group of such forms disposed flatwiseagainst each other.

Still another object of the invention is to pro- ,vide a rack or trayfor containing a group of record forms or cards supported upon theiredges, and supporting a scale adjacent one edge of the I sijoup ofcardsin such a manner that the scalemay be moved in a direction parallel tothe face of the cards, and also may be moved in a direction transverselyacross the edges of the group of cards, and in addition may be swungpivotally with respect to its support whereby any point upon the scalemay be brought into registration with a predetermined point upon thegroup of cards or other record members.

My invention is exemplified in the following description and anapparatus for use in practicing the method is illustrated by Way ofexample in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an apparatus for practicing my improved method.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view therethrough taken on line 2-2of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a stack of cards of the type to beanalyzed by my method.

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are diagrammatic views illustrating certain uses of mymethod.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, I have thereshown a simplified form of apparatu for practicing my method.

In general the device consists of a card supporting tray Ill having anupstanding front wall section II, a back or rear wall I2 and anintermediately positioned follower block 14. The top of the front wallsection is formed with a longitudinal dove-tail groove IE. A slidemember I1 is provided having a dove-tail member l8 engaging the grooveIt so that the slide ll may be reciprocated longitudinally of the tray.Pivotally connected adjacent one end of the slide I1 is a calibratedscale IS. The pivotal attachment of the scale l9 to the slide 11 isaccomplished by means of a pivot bolt 20 which projects through a slot2i extending longitudinally in th scale and thence through the slide ll.At its top the bolt 20 is fitted with a wing nut 22 so that the scale 19may be clamped in fixed relation to the slide l! or may be released sothat its position may be adjusted longitudinally and rotatably relativeto the slide ll.

As will be seen from the drawings, the mounting of the scale IS on theslide ll is such that the bottom of the scale I9 is at approximately thetop of the front wall section II of the tray 10 and the top of thefollower block Id. The width or height of the cards 23 to be used in thetray I0 is such that when they are clamped between the follower block 14and the front wall section ll of the tray 10 they will be arrangedobliquely to the bottom of the tray It! with their top edges disposedsubstantially on the level on the top of the front wall section I l andthe follower block it so that the scale l9 may pass thereover in contacttherewith. The cards may, of course, be disposed perpendicularly to thebottom of the tray [0, if so desired,

The scale i9 is formed with a central longitudinal opening 24 theopposite side edges of which are calibrated from zero to 100. In thisinstance the calibrations indicate percentage. It will be noticed thatthe calibrations are numbered in reverse order so that the percentagescan be read from either side of the stack of cards over Which it passes.

The operation is as follows: Whenit is desired to analyze the data upona group of cards23 or other record forms, this group ispIaced, in.

the tray ID in an upright or perpendicular position and will drop bygravity againstythe' front wall H so that their margins will be aligned.

The follower I4 is now brought forwardly to compress the cards againstthe inclined surface oithe wall ll, thus-bringing thenrinto an inclinedposition in which their upper edges will be substantially flush with theupperedges of the wall II and follower M. The surfaces of the front wallHand follower block 14 maybe perpendicular to the bottom ofthe tray I ifso desired. The scale 19 is now adjusted until the zero and 100 percentcalibrations thereon register with the face of the first and back of thel ast cards, respectively, of the stack. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, thecards 23 nearest the observer are slotted as at 25, while those at theback ofthe group are not so provided. This would be the case with asimple yes-no type of data. When the scale H] has been properlypositioned, as described above-the slide I! is the scale I 9 by simplymoving this scale l9 longitudinally of the edges of the cards, that is,by

moving'the slide I! along the groove [6, so that (the edge of the scaleI9 will be brought into proximity with-the notches at various placesalong the edges of the cards 23.

For the purpose of illustration, in Fig. 4' I have selected the simplestapplication of my method and device. One of the simplest examples of theuse of marginally slotted cards is the instance Where a singlehole ornotch is assigned to represent a yes-no item or anycharacteristicwithonly two possible classifications. For instance, where each cardrep-resents a dwelling unit, a certain hole in the card is used todesignate the race of the head of the household. For a. non- Whiteheadof the household that hole is slotted out to the edge of the cardwhile the card is leftunslotted for a Whitehead of the household.

-When a stack of these cards has been sortedfor a single classificationof this type, the cards reassembled in the normal fashion; all of thecards which have been slotted for that item or classification willlietogether atone side of the stack.

-Whenviewed from the top edge, such slotted cards'exhibit acontinuous-gap, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

- To-illustrate the method ot-finding the per- .47 percent heads,without counting the sorted cards and ,without calculation.

The obverse value, 53 percent white household heads, is obtained bysimple subtraction from 100 percent.

It is, of course, not necessary that the total number of cards be around figure as used for illustration here. Had the total number ofcards in this instance been 97, 182, or any other number within thecapacity of the scale, the percentageratio'of 47 cards to the totalwouldbe obtained with equal ease by'instantaneous direct reading of thescale.

To illustrate theapplication of the method to determine the percentagedistribution of I data in azmany-part classification, reference ishad toFig. 5 which represents a group of cards slotted for an item with sevenclasses. In this instance class 1 is at the front ofthe stack and class7 at the back. It is therefore desirable to use the reverse percentagescale on the opposite side of the scale l9, reading from zero at thefront end and 100 at the back end. Taking this item to be the number ofrooms in the dwelling unit, the percentage distribution is read directlyfrom the scale, as follows:

7% of the units have 1 room; scale readings 0,to 7 10% of the units have2 rooms ;-scale readings H0 17 ;18%of. the units have 3 rooms; scalereadings 17 to -35 21% of theunits have 4 rooms; scale readings v35 to:56 22% of the units have 5 rooms; scale readings 56 to 78 13% of, theunits have 6 rooms; scale readings 78 to 91 9% of the units have 7rooms; scale readings 91 to 100 100% check-total.

' By my method, I have replaced both the laborious counting of sortedcards and the calculation of percentages from these counts by a singleseries of instantaneous scale readings. Since the work eliminated is adual series of complex .operations, the time-savings can be very great.I have determined from actual practice that at least ofv the timerequired to countandcalculate is saved.

Among the most revealing statistical devices are the median or mid-pointin an orderedseries of cases, and the quartiles or quarter-points..Determination of these valuesfacilitates comparison of several series,and provides a standard condensed expression of the composition of asingle series. Octiles or deciles, thevaluesof the eighth-points ortenth-points ina seriesare sometimes useful.

Withordinary punched card methods, whether machine or manual, median andquartile determinations are made by a complicatedseries of steps, asfollows: Percentage distribution is dein an ordered series ofcards.

termined by count and calculation as described above. The percentagesfalling in the various classes are thencumulated. The fourth and finalstep is to determine which class must contain the first quartile, whichclass-the median, and which the third quartile. With my present method,however, these four steps are replaced by instantaneous scale readings.The values of the first quartile, median, and third quartile are read,respectively, from the classes which fall beneath points 25, 50, and 75on the scale when it is moved laterally so as to intersect the slots forthe item in question. The median for any series is the value at a pointso chosen that half of the cases in the series are on one side of it,and half on the other. Only if the series has an odd number of caseswill the median, quartiles, octiles, etc., coincide with the values ofactual cases in the series. In an: ordered series of 100 cases, forexample, the median is the value midway between the values of the 50thand 51st cases. But with 101 cases the median is the 51st case, thequartiles are the 26th and 76th cases.

' This peculiarity of median and quartiles has a favorable bearing onthe accuracy of my method in median and quartile determinations. Thediagonal scale carries 100 units of length but 101 point markings(to100). Points 25, 50, and 75 thus actually become the 26th, 51st and76th cases of a,101 case series. Therefore, these points give theprecise location of median and quartiles A similar rela tion holds foroctiles, deciles, etc.

For example, referring again to Fig. 5, it is seen that by this methodthat the median dwelling unit contains four rooms, the unit at the firstquartile three rooms, and the unit at the third quartile five rooms. Thepractical significance of this is, of course, that this body of data isquickly characterized. by showing that at least 50 percent of the unitslie within the narrow size range of three, four, or five rooms.

In this instance class 1 equals one room, class 2 equals two rooms, andso on. There is no range within the classes, and the class values asread from the scale are also the absolute values of median andquartiles.

In many situations the classes will contain a range of values such asmonthly rent per dwelling unit, where class 1 might represent rents from$0 through $9.99, class 2 from $10.00 through $19.99, and so on by tendollar intervals to $60.00 and over for class 7. Assuming now that Fig.represents this situation, we find by direct scale readings that themedian lies between $30.00 and $40.00 (class 4), with the quartilesbetween $20.00 and $30.00 (class 3), and $40.00 and $50.00 (class 5),respectively.

Under previous methods of analysis, the amount of calculation involvedin this kind of determination is considerable. This amount of labor hasprobably discouraged median and quartile determinations in manysituations where they would be useful, and it has generally discouragedmore refined determinations, such as octile or decile values, which canshed valuable further li ht in certain situations.

It will be seen that since this invention eliminates all counting andcalculation for the types of analysis thus far discussed, it is quite aseasy and virtually as quick to determine octile or decile values asmedians and quartiles alone.

I have found in actual practice that my invention has made iteconomically possible to adopt as standard analytic practice aconsiderably more refined division of statistical data than would bepracticable with any available other method. To see what this meansinpractice, consider thesituation, simplified from an actual instance,presented by the two following tables.

These tables plot for purposes of comparison, the

Class of Dwelling Unit Sm At- Best First Third Poorest Score QuartileMedmn Quartile Score 1 6 7 S 14 2 7 8 9 13 l 8 9 10 12 Area 4 I 3 9 1011 13 A regular progression from better to worse appears from area 1 toarea 4 in terms of the median and quartile values. For the middle 50percent of cases in these areas there is a consistent qualityrelationship. This is completely lost, however, at the extremes of theranges. At both extremes area 1 shows quality poorer by one class thanarea 4, and the end pattern is generally confused.

By cutting off 5 percent of the cases at either end the pattern iscleared as these values appear:

This table shows that not only for 50 percent but for percent of thecases there is a regular progression from better to worse in areas 1 to4. Conversely there is located a fortuitous scatter within the 5 percentof cases at each extreme.

To disclose this relationship with ordinary methods would call foradditional calculation at best. With my method and apparatus it requiresonly two additional scale readings for each area, namely, the classeswhich fall beneath point 5 and point on the scale. Hence, these finerdeterminations can readily be adopted as standard practice, and it isquite as easy to strip off 2 percent, 7 percent or 10 percent of thecases at each extreme as the 5 percent chosen here.

My .method can also be employed to find absolute values of median andquartiles in a series where each class contains a range of values.

When each of the classes of an item covers a range of values, as in thecase of monthly rent discussed above, it may be sufilcient to determinethe classes which contain the median and quartile values. The procedurefor this has been given. But assume that for internal analysis of aseries or for comparisons between series the absolute values of medianand quartiles is needed.

Fig. 6 shows cards slotted for such a series.

{The itemillustrated here :isziNumberof square feetof bedroom area peroccupant of the'dwelling unit. ".In a housing survey such anitem..-would constitute a basic, measure of overcrowding. j Class .1 isslotted for adwelling unit with less than 40 square feet ofxbedroom areaper occupant; classv 2 "for 40 to.44.9. feet, and so on by 5- footintervals through class 7xwit'hv 65 square feet or over.

In this example. statistically correct. values of 40.75 square ifeetfor;the.first quartileand 48.6 (square feet for median are quicklyfound'by scale areadings; from .the sorted cards .plus a rapidcal-=culation :ELS follows:

First quartile (a) 1st"quartile"(-point as-0115mm falls in class 2.

(blRange of class 2 .is 5 square feet (40.0 through 44.9). (cl-ClassZsubtends 20 .unitson the scale (point 22 to point 42) (d) Each scaleunitin'class 2 represents a range of .25 squareieet.

square feet) 5 or 20 scale units 20-"' (8) 1st quartile is 3 scale unitsabove the bottom of class 2.0n the scale .(point'25minus point (f) lstquartile value 1540.0- square feet/plus (3X25 square feet)0r 4O.75square feet of bed room space per occupant.

' Median ia) .Median' (point-50, on scalelfalls in class 3. (12) Rangeof class 3 is 5 square feet (45.0

through 49.9)

i (0) Class 3 subtends 11 units on the scale (point 42 to point 53).

(d) vEach scale unit in class 3 represents a range of .45square feet (e)Median is 8 scale units above the bottom of class,3 on the scale (point50 minus .point (f) Median value is 45.0 square feetplus 8x .45 squarefeet) v01-4813 square fee-tot bedroom space .per occupant.

; By the same method the third quartile value is e hown t-obe59i0 squarefeet.

.Mymethod has the further advantage that the accuracy of results is notaffected if the thickness of-card stock is changed fromonegroup of cardsto another. Similarly, accuracy is notaffectedif,

say. the unit thickness of cards is-increased by absorption-ofatmospheric moisture.

One of the reasons for this accuracy is the fact that ,the cards arestacked obliquely so that. a portion of the face or each card isexposed. While but iscapable otmcdification and variation within-ithespiritof the" invention and-within the scope lithis isnot preciselyillustrated in the drawings-because of the minuteness of the dimensions:involvedflhoweveru it Will: suflice to: say that-when astack of.-carcls isarrangedobliquely wlth itsbottom and top edges inwparallelism aportion of. the

f aceof each card-is exposed.

"The four types of analysis which have been illustratedanddescribedcomprise, with their normal variations and'combina-tions a large :partof the-usual statisticaloperations with massdata.

.If the number of cards-in the various groups to he analyzed variesconsiderably, it is .contemxplatedxthatscales I! of" differentlengthsmay be employed. A scale four and a; halt. inches lon forcxamplepmayr' be employed with-as manyas-400 cardsyor asi-fewaseo'cards, depending. uponits angular setting.

While I'zhave shown andzdescribed my inventions-specifically, it will beunderstood that it is not; tombelimitedtospecific examples'set forth,

of: the claims.

.Having thus: described my;.invention,- what I claim. and desire .to.secure by Letters Patentis:

edges ofall cards in said group.

"2. Ina device for analysis of data upon cards or similar record formsmeans providing relatively= adjustable substantially parallel walls forsupporting a'group of cards'with their upper-edges lying substantiallythesame plane, :an indicia bearing-percentage scale slidably mounted.with respect to one of said walls 'for'movement parallel to said edges,and pivota'llymounted for registration of-spaced' indicia thereof-withremote cards of said group along-alineextending transversely over saidedges-of all cards "in said group.

ALLANA. Tm CHELL.

: REFERENCES ;,CITED The: following-references are of record in" thefile of this patent:

1UNI'IED STATES FATE-N TS Number Name Date 280,772 Tucker July 3,1683962935 Mackoy June 21, 1910 1,422,641 Walters *J1.i1y 11, 1922 1,541,173Ormond June9, 1925 2,237,968 Moore Apr.--8,'--1941

